Robot artist creates caricatures from a photo in just 3 minutes

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The video above is a good example of what people my grandparents age were afraid of when I was a child. “Robots are going to take all the human jobs!” was a line that I heard often and what came to mind when I first saw this “artist” in action. Developed by the Fraunhofer Institute, the robotic artist in the video above is sure to spark a worldwide caricaturists strike to express their indignation at the insult of being replaced by a robot.

All joking aside, the robot is actually an incredible piece of machinery. On display at CeBit 2012, the robot is capable of drawing a portrait in just under three minutes. Subjects who want to have their likeness commited to paper must first have a black & white photo captured, then step back and watch the magic happen.

By measuring the way light reflects off the surface of the image, the robot is able to make out the unique facial features of each of its subjects and then translate them on the canvas. What’s humorous is that the robot is very exact, which sometimes results in not so flattering images of people who are used to human artists making adjustments to improve the protrait.

The deeper purpose for the robot is to study different reflective surfaces and perfecting clothing for their intended purposes. Street workers and police officers need bright, reflective clothing to keep them safe at night, whereas military units need to blend in as much as possible with their surroundings. The robot will be able to take a picture of a person, then draw what it sees giving an indication of how well it’s performing when worn.

If you’re a caricature artist, you can rest easy. This bad boy costs just a hair over $53,000 to manufacture, so there’s no real danger to your business. Yet.